Cage Five is Going to Break by E. Richard Johnson

Cage Five is Going to Break (1970) by E. Richard Johnson

The most interesting thing about the short novel Cage Five is Going to Break is that its author, E. Richard Johnson, wrote it while serving a 40-year prison sentence for his part in a robbery that resulted in murder. He wrote nearly every word of his 11 published crime novels from behind bars. 

Our main character here is Stacy Tate, a convicted bank robber incarcerated in Murphy Prison. Stacy is masterminding a breakout that involves several other inmates from his cell block along with his hooker girlfriend, Mae, working on the outside. She has access to the money from the bank job that landed Stacy in prison and is using it and her body to influence a susceptible prison guard. 

Almost the entire book is set-up as the reader is kept in the dark about exactly how this break will occur. We are introduced to an idealistic Custody & Treatment Officer, the cruel and sadistic captain of the guards, and the loser guard who becomes the target of Mae’s end of the plan. Most of the prisoners remain simply names with the exception of Lucky Joe, a more than willing snitch if it can gain him some leverage on the inside. The entire book is well-written with an assured bravado and conversational tone that feels authentic. 

However, there is almost zero action and little suspense until the final 20 pages or so. I don’t regret reading it, but I don’t see myself seeking out further crime novels by Johnson with so many better examples of the genre available.

Review by Steve Carroll